


Who Is The Hidden One

by RoczaDeb



Series: The Hidden One [2]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Adult Content, Adventure, Alternate Universe, Explicit Language, F/M, Family, Friendship, Humor, Implied/Referenced Sex, Romance, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 18:13:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29937399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoczaDeb/pseuds/RoczaDeb
Summary: Jack and Sam go try to figure out what the hell they are going to do to hide a goa’uld. The SGC and Jacob Carter try to figure out who has taken Sam.
Relationships: Samantha "Sam" Carter/Jack O'Neill
Series: The Hidden One [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2195292
Comments: 10
Kudos: 17





	1. The Safe House

**Author's Note:**

> Beginning Notes: Takes place after 0517 Last Stand, then goes totally AU. Anubis is not half-ascended. He is just a cunning goa’uld. Daniel didn’t die. He and Teal’c were chasing after Jack and Sam. Occasionally, the episodes happen to other SG Teams with different results because things have totally changed. AU. Enjoy.

Chapter 1: The Safe House

Sam explored the Safe House. It kept her mind off the impending conversation with Jack. She knew it was coming. But she honestly didn’t know what to tell him. He would ask her why she had done it. The bare truth of it was; ‘for him’. But it was also more complicated than that. It always was.

Sam had NEEDED to find him. To save him. BUT… She had also felt sorry for the goa’uld. Not just a ‘oh, that’s too bad’ kind of sorry either. But an altogether ‘Holy Hannah’ kind of sorry. She had wanted to help the goa’uld because it was the RIGHT thing to do.

It was pure bonus that Sam got to help Jack too.

But how could Sam tell him that? Especially after Jolinar.

_You will need to explain to him why you felt the need to help me,_ Shade said. _I don’t mean to intrude. But you are shouting again._

_I’m sorry,_ Sam replied. _It is very hard not to shout. He is being… very Jack right now._

_He seems very against my kind. Is there a specific reason?_ Shade asked.

_Many reasons,_ Sam answered. _It started with Sha’re and Skaara. They were his friends. Sha’re was taken by Amaunet and Skaara by Klorel. Then there was Major Charles Kowalski. An unknown goa’uld took him and he died. Then Jolinar took me. The on-going war with the System Lords. Then Hathor tried to have another unknown goa’uld take Jack. He got lucky and the Tok’ra helped kill it before it fully blended. I’m not sure Jack even likes the Tok’ra. He seems to tolerate them for my sake, because of my father._

_The former prisoners of the Tràill Slubhail talked about how he was angered when someone stole another’s freedom,_ Shade said. _I think he sees my kind as the ultimate thief. The Tok’ra don’t seem to steal that freedom. But you say that Jolinar did steal yours?_

_Yeah, I can see that,_ Sam replied. _He hated Jolinar for taking me over. So did I. I understand why she did it, but I had no say. I would have helped. I could have helped if I had a choice. She just thought she knew better._

_It is a learning process. Even for my kind,_ Shade replied. _You need to talk to him. This anger of his will fester and endanger us all. Even he knows this. That is why he has not pushed to leave._

_You think so?_ Sam asked.

_I know so,_ Shade replied.

Sam wandered out of the bedroom where she had been looking at the collection of clothing. She found Jack wandering the kitchen poking around in the cabinets. He still seemed angry.

“Hey, Shade says we need to talk,” Sam said to him.

“Shade? Is that its name?” Jack asked sarcastically.

“No, actually it’s not. She goes by the name of the host, but it feels weird to call her Sam. I asked if I could call her Shade. She consented,” Sam said.

Sam moved to the area she liked to call the living room. It had comfy chairs. She needed comfy chairs. She flopped down and grabbed a pillow to hug.

Jack stomped into the living room. “And just what does SHADE think we need to talk about?” Jack said.

Sam huffed, “She mostly wants me to stop screaming in my head. She doesn’t try to read my thoughts. She doesn’t know my memories. But she can’t help but hear me when I scream in my head. She ADVISED me to talk to you. She thinks you have anger issues. So do I, by the way,” Sam said.

“ANGER ISSUES?” Jack shouted. Then he saw her look and tried to calm down. He only sort of succeeded. “You think I have anger issues? I want to know why YOU don’t have anger issues?” Jack asked.

Sam considered the question, “Because I have more facts than you. WHICH IS WHY Shade thinks we need to talk. So you can get the rest of the facts.”

“Facts,” Jack said pointedly. “Fact one. My second in command has a goa’uld in her head. Fact two. She traded her freedom for my freedom. Fact three. We are not on Earth.”

“I will agree with Fact one and three. But fact two is false. I never traded my freedom for your freedom. That is based on assumptions. Shade has never taken over my body. Ever. She has flashed my eyes at my request. She has modulated my voice at my request. But I was the one to do the talking,” Sam said firmly. She hugged the pillow tighter.

“I doubt that,” Jack said.

“Why? We have met so many evil goa’uld face-to-face. Do you doubt that I could fake one over the TV with a little theatrics? I have gotten to know Shade a little bit. She could NOT have pulled it off. She is just not BAD enough. Shade is… too nice,” Sam said.

“Nice?” Jack asked skeptically.

“Nice, kind, modest. She went into hiding when I kissed you,” Sam said with a blush.

Jack floundered a moment. “So that was all you?” he asked. He actually looked relieved.

“Yeah, I was so relieved to find you. I don’t know what I was thinking. No… I wasn’t thinking at all. I was reacting. I just… needed you,” Sam said at a loss for words.

Jack lapsed into silence as he thought hard. Sam just let him think about everything. She was just trying not to think. Not to scream in her head. It was hard.

“Why did you do it?” Jack finally asked. He seemed much calmer now. He had stopped pacing and sat opposite of her.

“I needed help. I was alone on a hostile planet. I had not heard from Daniel or Teal’c in almost a week. I had just learned that you were already at the mine. The inescapable mine. Artair wanted to help. I just had to talk to someone else first,” Sam told the story.

“Until that moment, I didn’t know Artair was a host. Shade came forward and told me that she could give me the intel on the area, the mine, the layout, and it would all be internal. No evidence. All I had to do was hide her. I asked questions. Tok’ra? No, never heard of them. What if you were dead? She would help me determine your status, but she could not perform miracles. She would help free you, if possible.

“Then I asked why she was hiding. She told me that centuries ago she ran away from Ra. Ra had tried to find her. She refused to endanger someone else without their knowledge. She asked that I keep her safe from discovery until it was time to pass her to a new host. That host must willingly accept her and the risk,” Sam narrated.

“She doesn’t remember her original name?” Jack asked.

“She has used the name of her host for centuries. She says that she doesn’t want to remember it. It is likely she can search her memories if she wanted to. But right now, she doesn’t want to,” Sam said sadly.

“I can get that. It ties into a bad times and bad memories,” Jack said simply.

“Yeah, I think so too. Shade has been living among humans for centuries. Hiding. She has avoided other goa’uld. It has changed the way she sees the world. She thinks differently than the ones we have encountered,” Sam said.

“Can I talk to her?” Jack asked.

“I’ll ask,” Sam said. _What do you think Shade? Do you want to come out and talk?_

_I think it is for the best, Sam,_ Shade said.

Sam put the pillow down and took a deep breath then her posture changed and her eyes flashed, but her voice stayed the same, “Jack, you wanted to talk to me?” Shade asked.

“Shade?” Jack asked.

“Yes, Sam said I was her shadow. I liked that shade didn’t have the negative feelings that shadow did. It felt better,” Shade said.

“Uh huh,” Jack commented. “I want you to leave Sam and never go back into her.”

“I see. What do you propose in trade?” Shade asked.

“Me. I can keep you safer than Sam. I have combat experience. I can disappear into any background with no one knowing I was there. I can blend better than Sam can. Nobody looks twice at me,” Jack stated evenly.

“You know that she will not leave you, just as you would not leave her,” Shade told him.

“But I will have all the risk. I need her safe. I need her free,” Jack said.

“Very well. I accept your offer,” Shade said with a nod.

Jack practically leapt forward to kneel in front of Sam. He grasped her head and kissed her hard and longing before opening his mouth to accept the symbiote.

Sam was stunned. She had watched the entire process and couldn’t even shout in her head. Shock. Jack’s hands were still on her face as Shade slipped from her throat and into Jack’s mouth. She was still kissing him as Shade disappeared down his throat. Her hands went to his face as his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he started to fall. He was unconscious.

Sam grasped Jack by the shoulders and gently laid him down on the ground. She was still in shock. They were talking. He had clamed down. He was less angry. WTF.

Why had Jack taken Shade?

SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG

Sam watched Jack as he lay on the floor unconscious for ten minutes. Then she had to move. She wandered to the bedroom and cleaned it. She put fresh linens on the bed. Then she wandered into the bathroom and did the same. It didn’t need much work. The kitchen was the same. The living room was dusty, but it was also where Jack was laying. She didn’t think she could stare at him for long.

Sam would wander back to check on Jack. She eventually made herself something to eat and then cleaned the kitchen again. It was something to do.

Hours later Jack finally stirred.

“Jack!” Sam exclaimed and ran over to his side.

“Sam?” Jack asked softly. His head was pounding.

“How are you feeling?” Sam asked him.

“Like I got hit in the head. What happened?” Jack asked.

Sam huffed, “You took Shade and then passed out.”

Jack cracked his eyes a bit more to see here worried look. “Oh, yeah. She’s here. She says she is sorry about the passing out. She didn’t expect… What? I AM NOT AN ALIEN,” Jack shouted to the air.

“Alien?” Sam asked.

“She says I’m an alien. I am not,” Jack huffed. _I am totally human. Earth human._

_Well, your DNA is totally different than every other human I have encountered,_ Shade said. _Earth likely has an alien group living on it._

_That doesn’t make me an alien,_ Jack exclaimed.

_Well, you have an amount of alien data in your head,_ Shade said pointedly.

_THAT was put there by an alien device,_ Jack told her. _And what do you mean it is still there. Thor told me it was gone. That little alien lied to me?_

_Another alien? You are a mix of aliens. Alien this and alien that…_ Shade quipped.

_When did you get so snarky? I thought you were nice,_ Jack said morosely.

_Unfortunately, your alien DNA has sort of… mixed our connections,_ Shade said with hesitation.

_What?_ Jack exclaimed.

_I think that is why you fell unconscious. I did too. I can usually control my connections. Limit how deep the connection is. With Sam, I kept it very light. I am afraid our connection is much deeper,_ Shade stated.

_How much deeper?_ Jack asked with dread.

_Much deeper,_ Shade said. _Memories, yours and mine. Languages. Knowledge. Morals. Personality. It is not a connection easily severed._

_Great,_ Jack said. _So now I’m a queen. Fucking Fabulous._

_Perhaps I can try to remove the alien data from your mind. We already share memories. If I overwrite my genetic memories into that space, it may remove them,_ Shade said.

_Go for it,_ Jack said. _They almost killed me the last time they unspooled. The Asgard SAID they took them out._

_You are still alive. They must have had some success,_ Shade pointed out.

_I’ll accept that,_ Jack said. _But I don’t like being lied to._ “And I don’t care what you say, I am not an alien!”

“What?” Sam asked.

“Doesn’t matter. I am not an alien,” Jack told Sam firmly.

“Okay… Why is that even an argument?” Sam asked.

“Lethō says that my alien DNA suckered her into a deeper connection than she wanted,” Jack said.

“Who?” Sam asked.

“Lethō. The goa’uld queen in my head,” Jack said.

“You know her name?” Sam asked.

“Comes with the deeper connection part,” Jack said. “And she is not nice… snarky as hell.”

Sam snorted, “Deeper connection? Like the Tok’ra? They usually blend deeper. The snark may be you bleeding through… I wonder if you will be nicer…”

“Hey… I’ll have you know I am plenty nice… to people who matter,” Jack stated.

“So, who was she?” Sam asked.

“Lethō? I have no idea,” Jack said.

“The name doesn’t ring any bells. Not Egyptian. I think I have most of those memorized by now. This is where I miss Daniel the most,” Sam said with a sigh.

Jack gave her a sympathetic look, “For his off-the-cuff knowledge of crap no one else knows? Yeah. I miss him too.”

“So what do we do?” Sam asked.

“Hide. Make plans. Lethō brought us here. It’s a temporary safe house. I don’t think we should stay too long,” Jack said.

“Yeah. Good point,” Sam said.

_Using my real name is a risk,_ Shade said. _It may be best to avoid that risk._

_You want to go back to Shade?_ Jack asked.

_I think it is better. I have hidden for far too long,_ Shade said.

“Shade wants us to keep using Shade. She is worried about the risk associated with her real name,” Jack said.

“I can do that. I am more familiar with her as Shade anyway,” Sam replied. “A snarky Shade would be more fun though.”

“Says you,” Jack replied.

“Oh yes,” Sam smirked. “Um… I think we should also lose the ranks and formalities.” Sam said with a serious look. “I left Earth compromised. They know that. You are now compromised. To hide effectively, we have to be Jack and Sam.”

“Sam…” Jack started.

“Jack, I need you. I followed you because you would have followed me. But I realized on that mission that I NEEDED you alive. I needed you to survive. I could face anything WITH you. I would gladly blow up another sun WITH you. But I NEED you,” Sam said as she took his hands.

“Sam… I feel the same as I did a year ago. I would rather die than live without you,” Jack said quietly.

Jack pulled Sam towards him and kissed her. It was all his feeling and passion as his arms wrapped around her. They finally broke apart breathing heavily, foreheads pressed together.

“Just Jack and Sam against the world,” Sam said with a smile.

“I can do that. It’ll be easy,” Jack said with grin.

Sam led him back to the bedroom to show him how much she needed him.

SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG


	2. Shopping for Survival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack and Sam do some shopping.

Chapter 2: Shopping for Survival

The next day Jack and Sam went through the Safe House methodically. The clothing storage was the biggest find. Shade had collected types of clothes for every size and type of person she could host. Jack was able to find clothing in good condition for his size. Not boots. But the leather pants he had found would slide over the laces.

Sam had also found plenty of clothing in her size. She made sure to have several types of working clothes and dresses for disguise. She kept her boots, but she also had several types of shoes to go with her disguises.

When they had gone through their supplies, they started to make piles of what they would need to take and what they could leave. Shade had made them aware of the trade market for additional supplies to supplement the ones they had laid out.

With all their gear laid out, they decided that they needed new ruck sacks, a fire starter, knives, and water bottles. SGC bags were too recognizable. The rest was just basic supplies. They took Shade’s stash of local currency and hit the market.

The market was one of the open-air events that happened daily. Sam went one way looking for packs and a fire starter. Jack went the other looking for knives and water bottles.

The bottles were the easiest find and cheap. Next Jack went to the knife booth and spent his time trying out several of the blades before selecting several of various sizes. Then he went to hunt down Sam.

Jack finally found Sam hovering around a technology booth. He grinned. He could see that she had already found the bags. He wouldn’t be surprised if she found the fire starter too.

As Jack glanced at the table he spied two items on display that surprised him. Both were goa’uld. A healing device and a ribbon device. But only he and Sam could work them.

_Are those your old tools?_ Jack asked Shade.

_No,_ Shade replied with alarm. _I do not know how they got here._

“Your Grace,” Jack addressed Sam, “You should not leave your escort like that. They worry for you.” Jack tried to relay reassurance with his eyes.

Sam’s eyes flashed with humor, “I merely wanted to see the market without those… men looming over me,” she replied in a haughty tone.

“I can understand, Your Grace,” Jack replied. He could see the vendor preening at having such distinguished guests at his booth. “Has one of these trinkets caught your eye, Your Grace?” Jack asked. “I find this one particularly fetching,” he said as he pointed at the ribbon device.

Sam smiled, “It is rather fetching, isn’t it?”

“It is,” Jack agreed.

“Would the beautiful woman like to try it on?” the vendor asked. Jack could almost see him drool.

“I don’t know. The jewels are obviously fake. As pretty as it is,” Sam seemed to hesitate.

Jack almost applauded, “Perhaps they are fake, but the beauty of the trinket should make it worth it. What say you vendor?”

The vendor didn’t like them calling the jewels fake, but he couldn’t deny it either, “It is merely for the beauty of the piece. 20 pence.”

“That is more than fair,” Jack said amiably. “We could even include that similar trinket with a more ugly look for a few pence more. What do you say, Your Grace?”

Sam had tried on the ribbon device and was admiring it’s glowing in the sunlight, “Very well. The two trinkets. I suppose I should return to my escort. They are so boring,” Sam said.

Jack paid the vendor and plucked up the healing device, “Of course, Your Grace.” He picked up the bags as Sam strode imperiously away from the vendor.

Once they were out of sight, Sam plucked off the ribbon device, then shook her hand like she had the heebie-jeebies.

“God, I hate those things,” Sam said vehemently.

“Shade says they are not hers,” Jack relayed. “We need to get out of here. Think of it this way, we just got a steal on a personal shield.”

“Seriously, I thought they were hers,” Sam said.

“I checked,” Jack said. “This is a trade world, but who would dump that tech here? This world is no longer safe. We pack and we leave.”

“No disagreements from me,” Sam replied.

“I got a few varieties of knives. Sort through what works with the clothes you are wearing,” Jack said to change the subject.

“Nice,” Sam said with a smile.

They made it back to the Safe House and quickly backed everything in the bags Sam had purchased. Sam picked the knives she was going to carry and the zat. Jack still had the two stunners and now several more knives.

They had both decided to leave the P-90 and M-9. The ammo would run out and the weapons were too recognizable. They also left their BDU’s for the same reason. However, most of Sam’s scientific gear was coming. It was useful in so many ways that would work towards their survival.

With their last bag packed, they closed put everything away. They cleaned up one last time and closed the house. Locked the door and replaced the special key under the bench. They departed for the Stargate.

SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG

On the fourth planet, Jack and Sam walked away from the Stargate and into the surrounding woods. It was quiet and they were just looking for a quiet camping spot far from civilization. They found a likely clearing not too far from the edge of the trees. They set up their camp and went about their tasks with a habit born of too many years in the field together.

Once the small fire was going, they sat in peace and stared thinking.

“Have you thought about what you are going to tell your dad?” Jack asked Sam. He liked Jacob. He liked him better with Selmak.

_Really?_ Shade asked.

_Yeah, Jacob was a bit stiff before Selmak. After Selmak, Jacob started to be a real father to Sam,_ Jack said.

“Not really,” Sam replied. “I mean, Dad should be the one to get it. But…”

“But you don’t want to tell him why you had to go after me. I get it. No kid want to tell their dad they have to save their crush,” Jack said.

“I guess,” Sam said. “But… God… Did you know Dad was already accusing me of sleeping with you?” Sam asked.

“What? When was this?” Jack asked shocked.

“When you first met… He wanted me to go to NASA. I refused. He thought it was because I was sleeping with you,” Sam said frustrated.

“Well, there you go,” Jack said. “You held out three years longer than he thought. You are the goddess of self-restraint.”

“Jack…” Sam whined.

“What? Do you NOT want me anymore? I can leave. It will kill me, but I can do it,” Jack said.

“No, I don’t want you to leave,” Sam said with a giggle.

“Then let Jacob face the truth that all fathers all over the universe have to face. Their little girls grow up to become beautiful women. Those beautiful women then choose to be with some weird guy who makes her happy,” Jack said sincerely. “Are you happy?”

“Yes, I am,” Sam said quietly. Then she laughed, “I am happier now, on the run with you than I ever remember being.”

“Then Jacob will deal. Selmak will help him deal,” Jack said.

“So what do I tell him?” Sam asked.

“What do you want him to know?” Jack asked.

“I don’t know. I want to be able to talk to him and answer his questions and hug him. But I can’t risk being separated from you. And I really can’t risk Shade,” Sam said.

“Then we need a tel’tak or Al’kesh with a working cloak,” Jack said matter-of-factly.

“Why?” Sam asked.

“To stake out Ravenna,” Jack said. “You leave your note. We cloak and we wait. If they try to trap us, we stay cloaked. If it is just your dad, we say hello.”

“Okay,” Sam said as she started to run the logistics in her mind. “Where do we get a ship?”

“Shade? Any ideas?” Jack asked aloud.

_A few,_ Shade said. _The safest course would be world where neither of you are recognized. Trade worlds would be best in that sense._

“Yeah, SG-1 is sort of famous. Trade worlds would be much safer,” Jack agreed aloud.

“Trade worlds? But we wouldn’t have money to buy a ship,” Sam said.

_I can get you naquadah bricks at no risk on an abandoned planet,_ Shade said.

Jack suddenly looked interested, “Really? Naquadah bricks on an abandoned planet? How far from the Stargate? Because those things weigh a ton.”

“Wow,” Sam said amazed. “One brick should be enough. We could buy an Al’kesh.”

“We will buy whatever has a working cloak,” Jack said firmly.

“Fine,” Sam said sullenly.

“You can hope the Al’kesh has a working cloak,” Jack said in a sing-song voice.

“I will hunt one down,” Sam said firmly.

“I know you will. Get some rest,” Jack said as he kissed her head good night. He watched her lay down and close her eyes. _Tell me more about this abandoned planet the naquadah is on,_ Jack asked Shade.

SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG

The abandoned planet with the naquadah was an ugly planet with rough mountains. The naquadah was exactly where Shade had hidden it centuries ago. They took one bar from the stash and recovered it up. The whole trip was rather uneventful.

The targeted trade world was much more eventful. This particular trade world had many different goa’uld on it. Shade had often used it to disguise her naquadah trail in the past.

Before they left through the Stargate to the trade world, Jack put on his disguise as a goa’uld. He wore the ribbon device. He only carried his knives and a small bag with the bar of naquadah. Sam changed into her disguise as well. She covered her hair in a wrap and her vest and pant had extra knives. She kept her zat prominently displayed. She carried all the small coins. They left their remaining clothing and gear on an empty planet waiting for their return.

Once they were ready, they dialed the Stargate and got into character.

“What is your goa’uld name?” Sam asked while they waited.

“Well, I was thinking Mercury. I am a queen, you know,” Jack said smugly.

“Okay, Freddie… I mean… My Lord Mercury…” Sam said with a smirking bow.

“Come, Lotar. I just must have a ship,” Jack said with a swish in his step as he walked through the wormhole.

“And a Fabolous ship it will be,” Sam said with a smile as she stepped through the wormhole.

As they disembarked on the other side, they took note but ignored the Jaffa stationed at the Stargate. Once they reached the center of the plaza, Jack marched up to a man who appeared to be giving directions.

The man noted their approach and immediately bowed to Jack, “How may I direct you My Lord?”

Sam stepped forward, “My Lord Mercury desires to purchase an Al’kesh with a cloak. Where might such vessels be located?”

“Of course, My Lord, those vessels are located at the end of the second avenue,” the man directed them with his hand.

Jack spun in place and began to march down second avenue with Sam following close behind him, “Well, played,” Jack whispered to her.

“Not bad yourself, My Lord,” Sam replied. “This is kind of fun. We never get to be the bad guys.”

“Bad guys are totally overrated,” Jack whispered to her. “They think they are winning while they are totally losing.”

“I know. But they look like they have more fun,” Sam said.

Jack spared Sam a piercing look that was not totally out of character, “They don’t. Hitler wasn’t throwing parties in his bunkers. Saddam Hussain wasn’t living it large in his rat holes. Osama Bin Laden wasn’t living the quiet life with his wives in hiding. They are living with their choices just like we do,” Jack said.

“Oh,” Sam said quietly.

“Besides, pretending to be bad is not the same as being bad. When you were pretending to be the bad goa’uld, you barely kicked me. It was showy, not painful. That is what we are doing here. Putting on a show,” Jack said facing front again. “And The Show Must Go On…” he whisper sang to her.

“Okay,” Sam said in understanding. Yeah, she wouldn’t really torture someone. She had felt the pain stick herself. She wouldn’t inflict it on someone else. But she could but on a show. Lie to the liars.

Second Avenue ended in a huge field of space ships. Sam felt like she was in Seventh Heaven. She almost forgot why they were there. But she spotted the direction guy just before Jack. She cleared her throat and led the way.

The man once again directed them to three different models of Al’kesh that were for sale. A representative for each model was on site next to the model. Jack and Sam went over to the first one.

“Sam, you grill them. I wouldn’t know what to ask,” Jack whispered to her.

Sam smiled, “Yes, My Lord.”

The first ship had damage and no working cloak. The second ship was near new, but after touring the inside Sam was disgusted. The goa’uld who had used it last had just ate and left his food everywhere. It was gross. It was a possibility if the third one was a bust. But… Ew.

The third ship was not as new as the second and had seen some use, but it did have a working cloak. It also had all the drive crystals and Sam made sure that they included a spare set of crystals. Shields were fully operational and they had not had any issues with them.

Sam looked over at Jack and nodded. He in turn gave a slight nod to her.

Sam turned back to the Al’kesh representative, “My Lord Mercury has decided to purchase this vessel with the additional crystals.”

“I shall inform my master. I will return shortly,” the Jaffa left.

“Shade, if his master is a goa’uld you will need or make Jack’s voice reverberate,” Sam said out loud.

“Good call,” Jack said, his voice now in the dual-tones of goa’uld.

Before long the Jaffa returned to the tent with a flamboyantly dressed man in tow. The man had a ribbon device and the standard goa’uld swager. He was not a goa’uld that either Jack or Sam knew on sight.

“I am Lord Melqart. You want to purchase this vessel?” the goa’uld asked.

“I am Lord Mercury,” Jack replied. “I do. Have your Jaffa provided the crystals?”

Melqart snapped his fingers at the Jaffa. The Jaffa stepped forward with a case of crystals. He laid the case open on the ground before them.

“Then this is my payment,” Jack said as he handed the naquadah brick to Melquart. “Our business is done.”

Melquart’s eyes popped at the naquadah brick. He accepted it and waved his Jaffa back. “Our business is done,” Melquart said formally.

Jack and Sam were escorted back to the Al’kesh and the Jaffa removed all traces of the former owner before departing.

Jack closed and sealed the door.

“Alright… Let’s take this baby out for a spin…” Jack said as his voice returned to normal.

The Al’kesh rose from the landing area of the trade world and slowly rose into the atmosphere.

SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG


	3. Earth Side Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel and Teal'c come home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one is short. The next one is huge.

Chapter 3: Earth Side Story

In the two days it took to fly to Ravenna, Sam had finally figured out what to write to her father. It was a short note that no one could really get any information from except her father. Her father would have to explain the note to them if they took it to him. Chances were he wouldn’t. It was personal.

Dad,

Remember my favorite song growing up. From Pink. These words stick with me. ‘I’ll never be your perfect girl. I’ve got to run away. I might have nowhere left to go. But I know I cannot go home. And I will try to stay alive. Maybe the world will know one day. Why won’t you help me run away?’

Love you,

Sammie

It called back to a time when Sam as acting out after her mother’s death. Mark was too busy ignoring Jacob or blaming him.

But Sam wanted all the attention. For a year, Sam was the perfect daughter. She got straight A’s. She participated in every sport and several after school activities. Jacob was gone more than he was home. Sam felt ignored.

One day, Sam just left. Took her mother’s debit card and left. If being perfect couldn’t get his attention, then maybe running away would. Jacob finally found her three weeks and two states later. She was fourteen.

They had a long talk and spent a week getting home. A long slow week. It was one of the best times Sam could remember having with her father after her mother’s death. It was that week that drove her to decide to join the Air Force and follow in her father’s footsteps.

Yes, Jacob had pushed and tried to manipulate her career. But Sam could always see that he had the best of intentions. He wanted the best for his daughter. He was proud of her. He loved her. He just had a hard time saying it. He had a hard time showing it. But deep down, Sam knew it.

When they finally landed on Ravenna, they waited awhile to make sure the Al’kesh was not detecting entering orbit. After waiting a few hours, Sam decided to risk it.

“Alright,” Sam told Jack. “I have my note. You have me in your line of sight. We should be clear.”

“Roger that,” Jack said on the bridge of the Al’kesh. “Well, make dinner when you get back.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Sam said with a smile. She armed up and walked to the outer door.

Sam walked the short distance to the Stargate. She took in the surrounding area and found spot by the base to the Stargate base. It was well out of the way of any foot traffic. Even a MALP would miss it or drive past it based on its angle between the wall of the base and the ramp.

Sam walked over to the area and started to collect round rocks until she had a neat pile. She took the largest round rock and put her note under it. Then she stacked the rocks in little towers from largest to smallest until her pile of rocks disappeared.

Sam grinned. The biggest tower was the one with the note, but it was surrounded by several other towers. All done in the same format as the Blair Witch movie. It was a stupid horror movie. But it had an easy way to identify a rock stack hiding place.

Okay. Sam conceded that Tau’ri were weird.

Sam moved back to the Al’kesh her mission complete. Now they just had to wait for a response. Hopefully, it wouldn’t take too long. They only brought enough food for two months. Surely, the SGC wouldn’t wait that long?

SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG

Daniel and Teal’c trudged up the hill to the Stargate. They had spent the last two weeks wandering around the night of the city trying to find Sam or Jack. After their bad encounter with the militia, Jack had been hit with a stun weapon and taken by the militia. Teal’c and Daniel had provide cover fire for Sam to escape into the surrounding woods.

The militia had not even tried to pursue. Instead, they had just taken Jack and left. Sam had radioed that she would follow them. That was the last they had seen or heard of either of their teammates.

What little intel Teal’c and Daniel had been able to gather, the local militia was not popular. They had stuck to after dark because Teal’c did not even remotely look like a local. What they had found was that the city was just too damn big. They had no idea where to go or who to talk to without getting locked up.

They had decided to check in at the SGC first before making another attempt. This time trying to contact a local.

The clearing around the Stargate looked exactly as they had left it. The MALP was still positioned in the exact same spot. Daniel wandered over to the DHD and dialed Earth.

Daniel clicked his radio, “SGC, this is Daniel of SG-1.”

“Go ahead SG-1,” the SGC replied.

“Teal’c and I have not gotten any information about either Jack or Sam. The city is just too large. We wanted to check in before making another attempt to contact a local,” Daniel said.

“Belay that, Dr. Jackson,” General Hammond said. “We have heard from Colonel O’Neill and Major Carter. Return to the SGC immediately.”

“You have? Excellent. Open the door and we will send the MALP,” Daniel said with excitement.

“Door is open,” General Hammond said.

“Teal’c, come on. Jack and Sam are back home already,” Daniel said.

“That is good news, Daniel Jackson,” Teal’c replied as they walked the MALP through the Stargate.

Once Daniel and Teal’c stepped through the Stargate, they stopped in shock as every gun was pointed at them. The MALP continued down the ramp.

“Dr. Jackson, Teal’c, I would ask you to disarm voluntarily and proceed to medical under armed escort,” General Hammond’s voice echoed through the Gate Room.

Daniel handed his P-90 and M-9 to the technician who stood to one side. Another technician on the other side took Teal’c’s staff weapon and zat. Once the technicians were clear, Daniel and Teal’c exited the ramp and followed their escort to medical.

Anytime Daniel tried to ask a question, he was shushed. The first test they were given was the MRI. Daniel thought that was odd. After that test, the usual exams followed and they were released back to the briefing room.

General Hammond was waiting for them.

“Gentlemen, welcome home. I’m sorry for the precautions,” General Hammond started the briefing. “A little over one week ago, we were dialed by that planet. No IDC was sent. Instead we received a radio call from Major Carter asking us to turn on the MALP video. This is what we saw.”

General Hammond started the video transmission.

Daniel could see Sam in uniform with vest by the DHD. She looked at the camera and in a very goa’uld voice said, “Very good.” Her eyes flashed, “I am leaving this planet with this male. My host seems to like him. Male, tell them why we are leaving this planet.”

Daniel watched Sam kick Jack as he knelt in front of her. Jack looked angry and resigned.

“Fine. I’m fine, by the way. It got me out of the hell hole prison this planet decided to send me to. This place is on the brink of civil war. I have not seen Daniel or Teal’c, just Carter. Recommend getting them the hell out of here, because we won’t be here.”

“Why don’t you…” General Hammond’s voice said.

Sam the goa’uld, “My host says that the Tok’ra tunnels on Ravenna are no more. That is too bad. If she wanted to leave a message for her father, that is the place it would be. He only has to find the Blair Witch Stones.”

The transmission ended.

“I… I didn’t see any presence of a goa’uld on the planet,” Daniel said stunned.

“Nor did I, Daniel Jackson,” Teal’c said.

“Can you confirm their intel about that planet?” General Hammond asked.

“Oh definitely, the locals don’t know who to trust. The government has put in place a curfew and arrest anyone who is out after dark as a criminal automatically. Teal’c and I only moved after dark because… well… Teal’c just didn’t fit in,” Daniel said. “I couldn’t find any media to investigate, but the street signs were all Gaelic.”

“Well, we can scrub that planet from our list of possible allies,” General Hammond sighed.

“Did the goa’uld tell you who they were? Maybe we can find Jack and Sam that way,” Daniel said.

“No, it didn’t. I have locked out Jack and Sam’s IDCs. But we have no way of knowing who has taken Sam,” General Hammond said with a sigh.

“General Hammond, the goa’uld said it would leave a message for Jacob on Ravenna. Perhaps this would be a way to find more information about this goa’uld,” Teal’c stated.

“I’ve thought of that. The Tok’ra will think it is a trap. It may be a trap. But I want my officers back,” General Hammond said.

“What if we trigger the trap instead of the Tok’ra?” Daniel asked.

“I don’t want to lose you either, Dr. Jackson,” General Hammond said. “But the Tok’ra would go for it. And we might get intel. I won’t make it an order.”

“You don’t have to. I would probably do it without your consent anyway,” Daniel said.

General Hammond chuckled, “You probably would. You and Teal’c have a go. Take what you need. Leave for Ravenna tomorrow morning, after you rest.”

“Thank you, General Hammond,” Daniel said as he stood and hurried to his office Teal’c in his wake.

SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG


	4. Making Contact

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jacob finds the note.

Chapter 4: Making Contact

General Hammond had set the departure time for Teal’c and Danial at 0900 the next morning. General Hammond went down to the control room to prepare for the two men to depart to Ravenna. He could already see Teal’c standing in the Gate Room with his pack secured and staff weapon ready. The general chuckled. Daniel always seemed to be late to departures.

SMSgt Harriman was at the control desk running his tasks and had the Ravenna address ready to dial out when General Hammond gave the order.

“Um… General?” Daniel’s voice drew General Hammond’s attention over to the stairs that came down from the briefing room.

“Dr. Jackson, you’re supposed to be down in the Gate Room,” General Hammond stated firmly. He had a schedule to keep after all.

“Yes, I know. But I have a problem. I can’t find a reference to these Blair Witch Stones that the goa’uld in Sam talked about. How will I know what to look for? I couldn’t find anything in any of my books…” Daniel said in frustration.

Walter snorted.

General Hammond found that to be an odd response to Daniel’s statement. “Sgt Harriman, do you know something about these stones?” General Hammond asked.

“I doubt Walter would know anything…” Daniel started.

“Actually, yes, I do,” Walter replied.

“Please, enlighten us,” General Hammond said. He noted Daniel’s flabbergasted face.

“The Blair Witch was a movie. A real bad horror flick that came out not too long ago. One of the gimmicks in the movie was the Blair Witch Stones. Stacks of rocks that were completely unnatural,” Walter stated. The man grabbed some paper and quickly drew an example. “I thought the movie was really, really bad.”

General Hammond took a look at the hand drawn sketch. It was a bunch of ovals stacked on top of each other in reduced size. If they were rocks, then yes, it would be unnatural. Odd, but childish. He handed the sketch to Daniel.

“There you go, Dr. Jackson. It was not in your books because it is not of historical importance,” General Hammond said with a slight grin. “You should consult with SMSgt Harriman on pop culture references.”

Daniel took the sketch and almost looked at it sideways before Walter turned it the correct way. Daniel sighed and then headed down to the Gate Room.

“Dial it up, Walter,” General Hammond said with a grin.

“Yes, Sir,” Walter replied.

“Good job, by the way,” General Hammond said on the side.

“Thank you, Sir,” Walter replied before calling out the chevrons.

Before long, Daniel and Teal’c had departed through the Stargate and it had shut down. General Hammond sent a prayer out after the men to keep them safe and started for the stairs when the Stargate started to activate again.

“Off-world Activation,” Walter announced.

“Close the Iris,” General Hammond ordered.

The Iris closed after the splash and they waited to see if an IDC would be received.

“Receiving Tok’ra IDC,” Walter announced.

“Open the Iris,” General Hammond ordered as he started to make his way to the Gate Room. He both hoped and dreaded it was his friend Jacob. After their last joint mission to the System Lord Summit and the attack on Ravenna. This would be the first contact the Tok’ra had made to Earth.

When General Hammond had made it to the Gate Room, he was greeted by Jacob Carter/Selmak and Jalen.

“Selmak, Jalen, Welcome to Earth,” General Hammond said. “Come on up to the briefing room. I have some news for Jacob that is not good.”

“Of course,” Jalen replied, as she followed General Hammond up to the briefing room.

“It’s about Sam, isn’t it?” Jacob asked.

“It is,” General Hammond said sadly as they settled in the briefing room chairs. “But first, you have business. What can we do for you?”

Selmak took control, “The Tok’ra have decided to avoid using a centralized base. This new goa’uld Anubis is as cunning as Ba’al and more ruthless. We have broken up into ‘cells’ and each cell has a drop point for information. That way if one cell is compromised, the network still stands.”

“That makes sense,” General Hammond said. “What does that have to do with us?”

“Well, we have volunteered to be a part of your cell,” Selmak stated.

“Our cell? Earth isn’t Tok’ra last I heard,” General Hammond stated.

“Yes and no,” Selmak stated. “Yes, you have offered Jacob to the Tok’ra. A gift I am eternally grateful for. No, you are just allies.”

“So, what does that mean for you both?” General Hammond asked.

“Anubis has already attacked Earth,” Jalen said. “As far as Anubis is concerned, Tok’ra are already here on Earth. As our allies, we want to see you defeat his plans. To that end, we will assist you. Selmak and I will provide whatever assistance our Tau’ri allies need against Anubis and the other System Lords.”

“That is rather a firm departure from the previous Tok’ra stance on the matter,” General Hammond said, pointedly looking at Jacob.

“It is, George. I had to do a lot of convincing. They are waging a losing war using pawns. I am the first general they have ever met. Ravenna was a horrible loss that I had predicted years ago. They didn’t believe me. Now they do. They would like to send more Tok’ra near the end of their host life cycle to Earth. I would like to give the opportunity to others to fight, like I got,” Jacob said strongly.

“I’ll start the paperwork. You start finding people who would qualify for the Tok’ra. Selmak is sure to help in that area. You and Jalen can give them an orientation and a bit of off-world experience before you send them to their new cell,” General Hammond said in approval.

“New blood for a new war, George,” Jacob said with a grim smile.

“Too true, Jake,” General Hammond said sadly.

“Now, what is this news you have for me?” Jacob asked losing his smile.

General Hammond sighed. He stood up and moved over to a computer at the side of the room and started to speak. “As you know, after that SNAFU at the summit and the attack on Ravenna, Earth was actively seeking new allies against Anubis and the other System Lords. A few weeks ago, SG-1 went to a planet that was technologically advanced. The first day they were there they were attacked and the team was split in two. Daniel and Teal’c returned to radio us that Colonel O’Neill had been taken and Major Carter was in pursuit of the party that had taken him.

“A week later, I received a radio transmission from Major Carter to turn on the MALP video feed. I received this…” General Hammond said. He played the video for Jacob. When it ended, he continued. “One week after that video, Daniel and Teal’c returned from the planet unharmed. They had not seen or heard from Colonel O’Neill or Major Carter for that whole two-week period. Nor had they seen any sign of a goa’uld. They just left to go to Ravenna to see if a message was left for you. They didn’t want to risk you if it was a trap,” General Hammond said as he retook his seat.

Jacob was in shock.

Selmak took control, “Thank you, General Hammond. Jacob is very upset to find that his daughter has been taken by a goa’uld. However, we both feel that it should be us that goes, not SG-1.”

“Are you sure, Selmak?” Jalen asked.

“Yes, The message was not very goa’uld. More Tok’ra. It is like something Jolinar would send to be obvious, but not obvious,” Selmak said.

“Do you think this might be a Tok’ra?” General Hammond asked.

“No. If it had been, then they would have returned to Earth. Since, they did not, I can only make guesses,” Selmak said.

“I’ll have to look at that video more closely then,” General Hammond said.

“I will leave a mark, Jalen, if I go willingly. No mark for unwillingly,” Selmak said. Selmak turned to General Hammond, “The mark is a coded message that is unobtrusive. It will let cell members know my status.”

“Understood,” Jalen said with a nod. “Take care, Selmak.”

“I will,” Selmak said, then she turned to General Hammond. “Teach her more about the SGC and care for her well.

“I intend too,” General Hammond said.

They trooped back down to the control room. “Walter, Ravenna again if you please,” General Hammond ordered.

“Of course, Sir,” Walter replied and started dialing the Stargate.

Jacob Carter/Selmak stormed into the Gate Room. General Hammond could tell that it was Jacob back in charge. He hoped his friend regained his composure on the other side.

“Godspeed, Jacob,” General Hammond whispered.

The wormhole engaged and then Jacob stormed through. It blinked out a short time later.

SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG

Jack was curled up in bed with Sam in his arms. He was warm and comfortable and there was the annoying sound of his alarm clock. But he was ignoring it. Alarm clocks meant that Sam would disappear and life would suck again. He could be late. Besides he was warm.

_You really should get up, alien,_ Shade said to him.

_I am not an alien,_ Jack protested automatically as he snuggled closer to Sam.

_Well, you are the one to set the ship to notify you when the Chappa’ai activated. It would be a waste if you missed it,_ Shade said sarcastically.

_What?_ Jack said muzzily. _This is a weird dream._

_It’s not a dream,_ Shade told him.

_It’s not? Then why is the alarm clock going off?_ Jack said as he slowly gained alertness.

_Not an alarm clock. Alarm. Chappa’ai alarm,_ Shade said pointedly.

_Why would I have a Chappa’ai alarm?_ Jack asked.

_Oh fer crying out loud! Just get up and go look,_ Shade said. _I swear to all that is holy, alien. You are a trial and a half._

_I am not an alien,_ Jack said finally waking up enough to realize that he is talking to someone IN HIS HEAD and Sam really was in his arms. The alarm is for the Stargate. Shit! The Stargate!

“Sam! Wake up,” Jack poked her side.

“Five more minutes, Dad,” Sam mumbled.

Jack smiled. Sam was so cute when she was totally out of it. “Sammie…” Jack sang to her. “Time to go see who came to get your message…”

Sam snapped up, instantly alert. Then dropped back to the bed. “Fuck!”

“Come on. Let’s go see who showed up,” Jack told her as he stared to root around for clothing.

“I bet it’s Daniel. He always had the worst timing,” Sam replied.

“Not taking that deal. Sucker’s bet,” Jack said.

They made it to the bridge with the view of the Stargate from their cloaked ship to see Daniel and Teal’c looking around the Stargate in confusion.

“Yeah, total sucker’s bet,” Jack echoed. “At least we know they made it off that crappy planet okay.”

“Yeah, I didn’t realize how worried I was for them until I saw them just now,” Sam said with a huff.

Jack reached over and hugged her tight. They watched the next half and hour as Daniel wandered around looked confused at all the rocks in 200 yards.

“Has Daniel ever seen Blair Witch?” Jack asked finally.

“You know, I don’t think he has,” Sam replied as Daniel trooped once more over to some randomly piled rocks some distance from the Stargate.

“You know, this is kind of sad,” Jack said.

“Kind of… this is very sad. Our expert in everything alien, doesn’t seem to know one simple Tau’ri fact. And Teal’c can’t help him,” Sam said shaking her head.

Then the Stargate activated again. This time it disgorged Jacob Carter/Selmak. Jacob stood on the Stargate platform then stormed down towards Daniel and started to yell at the man.

“Ouch. I think I can hear your dad yelling at them from here. What for do you think they did?” Jack asked.

“What else? Not saving me from be goa’ulded. Oh… That is his ‘angry dad’ face,” Sam replied wincing.

“Am I going to get that face?” Jack asked.

“No… You are going to get the much worse ‘defacing my daughter’ face,” Sam replied with a smirk.

“Oh yeah,” Jack said with a smirk. “Not sorry.”

_We do not need reminders while staring at Sam’s father,_ Shade told him.

_We always need reminders,_ Jack said smugly.

Jacob had ordered Daniel and Teal’c back through the Stargate. It splashed to life and then Daniel and Teal’c disappeared.

Then Jacob stopped and hunched over the DHD. He finally rose up and walked over to the Stargate platform where Sam had hidden her note.

“Ha! I knew your dad would find it,” Jack said with a smile.

Jacob pulled out the note and read it. Tears started to fall from his eyes. He walked over to the base of the Stargate ramp and sat down with the note in hand.

“Well?” Jack asked Sam.

“I think we can trust him. I want to talk to him. Shade?” Sam asked.

_He appears moved by the note. He seemed to understand that you wanted to see him alone. I will accept the risk. Bring him here. We will fly the ship somewhere to talk,_ Shade said to Jack.

“Shade is good with it. Once he is one board, we will fly somewhere to talk,” Jack relayed.

Sam signed, “Wish me luck.”

“Good luck,” Jack said.

Sam went to the outside hatch and opened it. She stepped outside the cloaking field and took a strengthening breath. “Dad!” Sam shouted.

Sam watched her dad’s head jerk in her direction. He stood up and walked a few steps in her direction. Sam walked towards him. She reached him at the bottom of the Stargate ramp.

“Hey, Dad,” Sam greeted him. “Hey, Selmak.”

“Kiddo,” Jacob pulled her into a tight hug. “I was so worried about you.”

“I know. It is a long story. I want to tell it to you, but I can’t do it here. Can you come with me? I promise no harm will come to you or Selmak,” Sam said.

“You don’t have a symbiote,” Jacob said. “I can feel that.”

“Long story,” Sam said again.

“Okay, I’ll come. Let me leave this marker here. It says I left of my own free will,” Jacob said. He placed a coin on the Stargate ramp. “Where to?”

“This way,” Sam said as she led the back to the ship.

Once inside, Sam close the hatch and sealed it. They both felt it take off.

“We are trying to protect someone. Come on,” Sam said.

“This is an Al’kesh,” Jacob exclaimed.

“Yeah, we bought it. We needed a ship with a cloak to watch who picked up the note. Watching Daniel was just sad,” Sam said.

“You bought a ship?” Jacob exclaimed. “You have only been missing for a week.”

Sam looked at her father, “Dad, you act like I don’t know how to do stuff.”

“Sam, I’m not saying that,” Jacob back tracked. Only to be interrupted by a loud shout.

“God damn it. I am not an alien. Stop saying that!”

“That was Jack,” Jacob said.

“Yes. Just ignore him when he does the whole alien thing… I think Shade does it to annoy him now,” Sam said.

“Who is Shade?” Jacob asked.

Jack stormed into the common area, “Hi Jacob, Selmak. Sam, tell Shade to stop harassing me. I am not an alien.”

It was then Jacob felt the difference in Jack. Jack was the host. Shade must be the symbiote.

“Shade, you know he is sensitive about that,” Sam said. “I assume we are in some random orbit?”

“Yes,” Jack confirmed.

“So, long story just got longer I assume,” Jacob said.

“Not really,” Jack said. “All a part of the same long story. I assume we are skipping the planetary no Shade parts?” Jack asked Sam.

“Not all of them, I hope. I would like to know how Sam ended up with a goa’uld,” Jacob stated.

“I can do that,” Sam said. “Brief summary. SG-1 arrived on planet and found a city in the distance. Noticed hover cars. Went to meet the locals. Long walk. Cliff. Attacked in forest after cliff. Returned fire. Teal’c and Daniel made it up the cliff. I was about to attempt it when Jack got hit. Stunner like a zat. They cover me into the woods. I escape. Locals take Jack. I follow. I lose them.

“Almost a week later, I am gathering intel. Alone on hostile planet. Found local businessman. Rebel leader. Told Jack has been moved to mines. Need different intel.

“The rebel leader I had been getting intel from was a host. He has been hiding the goa’uld. The goa’uld needs a new hiding place. It is willing to give me all the intel I need if I am willing to hide it. It allows me to ask questions. It is not a Tok’ra. It has heard of Egeria. But it is running from Ra and the other System Lords for centuries. I accept.

“I find Jack two days later. The mine is free. We head back to Stargate. He does not know about the goa’uld. I tell him I can’t go back to Earth. He says he will stay with me. Period. I decide to send a message to Earth not to come to planet and that we are no longer on planet. I tag with Ravenna for you. Just in case. We didn’t really have a plan. Just get off that ready to explode planet,” Sam summarizes for her father.

“Okay, that catches me up to what happened on the planet. But what made you take the goa’uld?” Jacob asked.

“A couple of things,” Sam replied. “First of all, I felt sorry for Shade. Actual pity. I wanted to help her. I didn’t know Artair was a host until she spoke. Second, I needed help. Really needed it. I had not heard from Daniel or Teal’c in a week. That planet is on the brink of civil war. We were about to be caught in the middle of it. Third, Shade didn’t try to promise me anything she could not reasonably do. She offered information, not miracles. I asked if Jack was dead. She said she could only help me determine his status. The System Lords are happy to lie to you to get what they want. She didn’t lie. She would help, but she didn’t lie.”

“That is a different perspective for a goa’uld to take,” Jacob said.

“Shade also asked that when it came time for me to pass her to a new host that the host take her willingly. There was risk to both of them. She would not endanger anyone unwillingly. Jolinar never gave me that choice. I understand why, but I resented it. She felt like she knew better. She didn’t. She knew different,” Sam said.

“Yes. I understand that perspective all too well among the Tok’ra,” Jacob said.

“Long life, does not always mean well lived,” Selmak provided.

“No. It does not,” Sam agreed.

“So, you sent the message to Earth. Then what?” Jacob asked.

“Shade led us to one of her Safe Houses on a trade world. We stayed there for a few days to get our heads straight and to figure out what we were going to do next,” Sam started.

“I was understandably upset that Sam had taken a goa’uld to get intel to free me. I blamed myself. We talked it out. Sam told me her reasons. That is when I realized that I could help hide the goa’uld much better than Sam could. I made the offer that Shade leave Sam and never go back. Shade accepted,” Jack said.

“And that is where things when a bit wrong,” Sam replied.

“A bit,” Jack conceded. “But I am not an alien.”

“Shade made the transfer to Jack and they both passed out,” Sam said.

“What?” Selmak said.

“Yes,” Sam said. “Jack didn’t wake for several hours. At that point, they were both fine… ish…”

“I am not an alien,” Jack whispered.

“Will you stop it,” Sam snapped. “Anyway, when I merged with Shade, the connection was light. Shade could only read my active thoughts. No memories unless I brought them forward. The only exception was when I was screaming in my head. With Jack, however, the connection is much deeper. Memories, thoughts, emotions, and personalities are all blended,” Sam said.

“Personalities? Even the Tok’ra do not blend that deep,” Selmak said.

“Yeah, Shade was nice for Sam. I get the snarky version,” Jack said. “I am not that snarky.”

“Anyway,” Sam said glaring at Jack. “The deeper connection meant we learned more history about Shade than we needed. Shade was running from Ra for a reason. She was hiding from Ra, but has plenty of reason to hide from the other System Lords as well.”

“And then she poked my alien data nugget,” Jack said.

“Your what?” Jacob asked confused.

“A few years ago, I got my head sucked by an alien device. It deposited an alien data nugget in my head. That nugget unspooled and overwrote all my brain functions until I was about to die. I had to go to another galaxy to get fixed. Thor said he took it out. APPARENTLY, he just urespooled it. Fixed, but not fixed,” Jack said.

“What does that mean?” Jacob asked again. This time looking at Sam.

“Ancient Repository of Knowledge,” Sam clarified. “All the knowledge the Ancients had acquired in one neat package.”

“Holy Hannah!” Jacob exclaimed.

“Yeah, Shade poked it. It has overwritten her genetic memories from the dawn of time until her mother. Maybe a little after Shade was spawned. But she can still remember all of her post tank memories and her blended memories,” Jack said.

“Shade has all of the knowledge of the Ancients INSTEAD of the goa’uld?” Selmak said sounding as flabbergasted as she has ever sounded.

“Yeah,” Jack said. “She is still snarky about it though. Not wise AT ALL.”

“If only Shade could pass that knowledge on to another generation? But we have never found our queen Egeria,” Selmak lamented.

“You see… This is why…” Jack started.

“Jack, It’s not like that,” Sam reassured him. “I’m sure my father and Selmak don’t want Shade just for the information she can provide to future generations.” Then Sam turned on her father, “After all, condemning CHILDREN to a war they did not start is cruel.”

“Of course, Sam,” Jacob said quickly. “There is no way these children would even be ready to be host for years. They would be no use to this war.”

“No, they wouldn’t be,” Sam said firmly.

Quiet fell over the three of them. Finally, Jacob broke it. “I have moved back to Earth. We have gotten the Tok’ra to create a ‘cell’ network after Ravenna. I am in charge of the Earth cell. It is sort of a staging ground for getting new hosts and fielding them to the other cells. You can reach me there if you need to.”

“We can’t go back,” Jack said. “Shade needs us.”

Jacob sighed, “Yes, It’s more important than ever to keep Shade from the hands of the other goa’uld. How can I reach you?”

“We don’t know yet?” Sam replied. “We are still working logistics out.”

“What do you want me to tell them back home?” Jacob asked.

“Tell them what you know minus the Ancient Database. I won’t leave Jack while he is compromised. Jack is blended too deep to be separated. The goa’uld is being hunted by other goa’uld and is in hiding for a reason,” Sam told her father.

“I can do that,” Jacob said. “Take us back, Jack.”

“Yes, Sir,” Jack snapped and turned back to the bridge. They soon felt the ship underway.

Jacob turned back to Sam. Sam was watching him with longing in her eyes. His heart ached for her. “Are you happy, Sam?” Jacob asked.

Sam laughed, “Yes. Yes, I am. Happier than I have been in a long time.”

“Good,” Jacob said with the hint of smile. “I like him, you know. Don’t tell him, but he has a good heart. And he makes you smile,” he said.

“Thanks, Dad,” Sam replied with tears in her eyes.

“I may have also notice that you call him ‘Jack’ and he calls you ‘Sam’,” Jacob said with a fatherly look.

Sam had the grace to look embarrassed. “Dad, he makes me happy.”

“Very good,” Jacob said with a smile. “That is all I have ever wanted for you.”

The Al’kesh settled to the ground and Sam opened the door for her father. She gave him one last hug before he stepped outside. She watched as he walked to the Stargate before she closed the door. She felt the ship lurch on take-off as they headed to their next destination.

SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG


	5. Giving Shade A Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The SGC hunts a name while Jack and Sam find a home base.

Chapter 5: Giving Shade A Name

When Jacob returned to the SGC, he was immediately directed up to the briefing room. Jacob and Selmak were not surprised to see Daniel and Teal’c already in attendance with General Hammond. Considering his news, Jacob was glad they had waited. _I bet they want to see the note,_ Jacob said.

_No bet,_ Selmak commented.

Jacob chuckled. “George, SG-1,” Jacob greeted. “I’m sure you want to know what I found.”

“If you found anything, Jacob. Daniel didn’t seem to have any luck. It is possible that they have not left the message yet,” General Hammond said.

“Actually, they had,” Jacob said. “I’m rather surprised Daniel missed it. Since it was right next to the Stargate.” At this point Jacob couldn’t help, but smile at Daniel. It had caught his eye as he was sending the rest of SG-1 home. Blatantly obvious if you were looking for it.

“But… I was all over the area… I looked at all those rocks. Literally, rocks. None of them were stacked like the picture,” Daniel protested.

“Yes, they were. Several stacks of them. The biggest one had the note,” Jacob said. “But that was not all. I actually saw both of them.”

“You did? Was it a trap?” General Hammond asked.

“No. It wasn’t. In fact, they were more concerned with us trying to trap them. I got their version of events that led to… everything… Let me start at the beginning.” Jacob took a breath and sat down. “After the fire fight, Sam lost the guys who took Jack. She tracked him for a week. She had not heard from either of you. She was gaining intel from a local when she found out that Jack had been sent to the mine. To get additional intel she had to talk to the goa’uld first,” Jacob hesitated.

“Sam says that she didn’t know the local was a host until that moment. The goa’uld said it would gladly provide intel if she would provide a place for it to hide. The planet was on the brink of civil war and the local was a rebel leader. She was able to ask it questions before the blending. It was not a Tok’ra. It had been hiding from Ra and the other goa’uld for centuries. She wanted to help it because it was the right thing to do. But the biggest factor to her was that it didn’t lie to her. It told her the truth even if it meant she would not host it.” Jacob took a deep breath as he thought about that kind of decision.

“Sam accepted the blending. It chose to do a light blending with her,” Jacob said.

“What does that mean?” General Hammond asked.

“A light blending? Well, I have been putting a lot of thought into how to present blending to potential hosts. There a several layers of blending. A blind blending is where the symbiote is essentially blind to the host. There is no mental contact. No sharing of thoughts, emotions, memories, morals, or personalities. This is the kind of blending that the host Jolinar was in before it blended with Sam.

“A light blending is the next level. It allows some connection of thoughts and emotions. But no memories, morals, or personalities. This is the easiest connection to break. It is also the best connection to allow two people to maintain their distinct selves.

“A moderate blending is slightly deeper. It allows more thought connection and easier emotion connection. Some memories, usually the most present in the mind. No morals or personalities. It can be broken, but not as easily as the light connection.

“A deep blending is the connection most commonly used by the Tok’ra. It allows the thoughts to closely intermingle as well as the emotions. Most memories are shared between the two life forms. Some morals are shared. No personalities are shared. Each life form stays distinct. This is a life long blending. It is usually broken when one life form is about to die.

“A melded blending is the deepest connection. This is the rarest connection. It merges the thoughts, emotions, memories, morals, and personalities of the two life forms. The life forms merge to become two parts of the same life form. Like conjoined twins. It is almost impossible to break this kind of blending. To do so usually ends in the death of both,” Jacob says.

“Thank you for taking such an interest in trying to explain the blending process,” General Hammond said. “Major Carter had the Light Blending.”

“Yes,” Jacob continued. “Sam was able to finally meet up with Jack two days later. She didn’t tell him about the goa’uld. She just said she couldn’t return to Earth. He refused to send her out into the galaxy alone. Sam is the one who thought up the message to Earth. After the message, they went to a Safe House the goa’uld had set up for transitioning identities.”

“Wait… Jack didn’t know she was a goa’uld?” Daniel asked.

“Not until that message, no,” Jacob said.

“How? Goa’uld are not exactly subtle,” Daniel said.

“Apparently, this one is,” Jacob said. “At the Safe House, Jack confronted Sam about the whole goa’uld blending thing. That lead to Jack offering to be it’s hiding place. It accepted. They blend.”

“What?” General Hammond said. “Colonel O’Neill decided to blend with this goa’uld?”

Jacob sighed, “It gets worse, George. Jack blends and passes out. Turns out the goa’uld passed out too. They didn’t just blend, they merged.”

“Dear God,” General Hammond said.

“Why?” Daniel asked. “Why would he do that?”

“His trade with the goa’uld was for it to leave Sam and never go back,” Jacob said sadly.

“So both of my officers have been compromised,” General Hammond said while staring at the table.

“Yes. But they have also determined that the goa’uld was not lying about hiding from Ra and all the other System Lords for centuries. It would only go to a willing host because of the danger to the host for hiding it. It did not speak the entire time I was there. It let Jack speak for it,” Jacob said.

“Did they tell you it’s name?” Daniel asked.

“Yes, but I doubt it will help. They called it Shade,” Jacob said sadly.

“Shade?” Daniel asked like he was almost offended by the normal sounding name.

“I have not heard this name before,” Teal’c supplied.

“Did they seem alright?” Daniel asked.

Jacob chuckled, “Actually, they seemed to be doing pretty well. They have been missing… what… one week?” Jacob looked for confirmation to Daniel and General Hammond. “They were flying a pretty nice Al’kesh. They had BOUGHT the Al’kesh. Sam almost yelled at me for thinking she couldn’t take care of herself.”

“They bought an Al’kesh?” Daniel said. “How did they…? They have only been gone a week…”

General Hammond chuckled, “They might have had some assistance from their new friend. Combine the resources of a goa’uld, Jack’s tactics, and Sam’s brains… They will own the Universe before long.”

“That is probably true,” Jacob said absently. “Daniel, Teal’c, can I talk to you in your office? I have some ideas about this goa’uld I want to run past you.”

“Sure, Jacob. I’ll be up there in about ten minutes,” Daniel said.

“I will be sure to join you Jacob Carter,” Teal’c stated.

“Good. That will be all for now. Let me know if you need anything, Jacob,” General Hammond said in dismissal.

“I will. Thank you,” Jacob said. _Let’s get something to drink before we confront Daniel and Teal’c,_ Jacob thought at Selmak.

_Just not coffee. It makes me jittery,_ Selmak replied.

_Apple juice?_ Jacob offered.

_Sounds good,_ Selmak said. _Do you truly believe that this goa’uld might be a queen in hiding?_

_I don’t know,_ Jacob responded. _But Jack’s responses were a little extreme for a non-queen. Sam very quickly jumped on me about children in Jack’s defense. Based on what we know about a merged blending, how much of that was Jack and how much was the goa’uld?_

_Good point,_ Selmak said. _With the Ancient data in the mix, we CANNOT tell the Tok’ra._

_You’re right,_ Jacob said. _But like Sam said, ANY children would not be ready for years anyway._

SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG

“Hey, Daniel, Teal’c,” Jacob greeted the two men with his juice in hand. “I wanted to talk to you both about who this goa’uld might be.” Jacob then closed the door before he sat down.

Daniel raised his eyebrows at the closed door, but held his peace.

“When Selmak and I were talking to Jack and Sam about the story the goa’uld presented, we were struck by one consistency. The goa’uld was being hunted FOR CAPTURE. Ra did not want to kill this goa’uld. The System Lords did not want to kill this goa’uld. They wanted to capture it,” Jacob said evenly.

Then Jacob turned to Teal’c, “Teal’c, when you were in the service of Apophis, was there a ‘be on the lookout for’ notice for any goa’uld… Not kill orders, like you get for Tok’ra, but something else?”

“Daniel, same thing. Ra or any System Lord would be hunting down this goa’uld. Look at the mythology. See if there is something there. I have a hunch. I am wondering if it will pan out,” Jacob said.

“Do you want to tell us your hunch? Or should we randomly guess?” Daniel asked.

Jacob sighed, “I may as well tell you. I want you to keep this absolutely confidential. Just us three…” He stared at both men until he was certain they agreed. “When Ra had angered Egeria, she had spawned the Tok’ra. He sent out execution orders for all the Tok’ra, but for Egeria he wanted her alive… Queens were too rare to waste. That is why Hathor and Isis were in statis. Goa’uld can’t breed without a queen. I am wondering if THIS goa’uld is a missing queen.”

“But we don’t know her name because…” Daniel started.

“Because she now goes by Shade,” Jacob stated. “If she has been hiding successfully for centuries, her name is the first thing she ditched.”

“An interesting proposal, Jacob Carter. I will give it some thought and return when I have an answer either positive or negative,” Teal’c replied.

“Thanks guys. I plan on doing the same with Selmak’s memories. We’ll get together tomorrow to see what we have found,” Jacob said.

Daniel had already turned away from him and was staring to pull books off of his shelf. Teal’c nodded and headed off to his quarters to kel-no-rem. Jacob and Selmak needed to do the same. He headed off to his quarters for some peace and quiet.

SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG

Jacob, Daniel, and Teal’c met the next day to pool their information. Jacob decided to start with what he could remember from Selmak’s memories.

“Alright, guys, here is what Selmak can remember,” Jacob started. “We will start with the ones we know about. Ten thousand years ago, Ra tried to limit who Egeria could associate with. He tried to limit her freedom. She retaliated by creating the Tok’ra. She had spawned once before fleeing. Her children took years to mature. Ra did not realize the extent of her anger for several years. She had spawned several more times at other locations by the time he realized how he had screwed up.”

“However, Ra did NOT order Egeria killed. Just captured and returned. To this day, the Tok’ra do not know where Egeria is. However, I have been told that Shade is NOT Tok’ra. She is likely not Egeria. Which brings us to our next elimination, Isis. Before Ra departed Earth, Seth had Osiris’ host killed. The symbiote was saved. Osiris and Isis were but in stasis jars until Ra could kill Seth. As we now know, Isis’ jar was damaged and she died in her jar,” Jacob continued.

“Next we have Hathor. Again, she did something to anger Ra before he left Earth. Likely it had something to do with Egeria and Hathor deciding that she could manipulate the men around her. Hathor was put into stasis. She was revived and escaped the SGC into the galaxy. She attempted a comeback with SG-1 as her victims. She died when Colonel O’Neill killed her by cryofreeze solution

“Another queen that we know about is Amaunet. She was killed in her host, Sha’re, just two years ago by SG-1 when the Tau’ri were rescuing the Abydonians,” Jacob said.

“Is Bastet a queen? I saw her at the Summit, but my literature says that she might be one,” Daniel said.

“Bastet is a queen, Daniel Jackson. Bastet was queen to Sebek before she killed him to rule his lands in his place. Bastet joined forces with Morrigan. This union strengthens both of their domains,” Teal’c replied.

“That’s true, Daniel,” Jacob seconded. “Bastet killed Sebek about five hundred years ago. He wasn’t very ambitious. But he had a queen. He was doing better than most goa’uld.”

“Okay, so who does that leave? I mean, of the known goa’uld queens,” Daniel asked.

“Well, before we go down that road, there is one more queen that needs to be eliminated. Xiwangmu. Celestial Mother Goddess of the West. Wife of the Jade Emperor. I mention her for a very specific reason. Anubis killed her in a very public way. It is why Lord Yu hates Anubis. It is also why Anubis was thought dead these last one thousand years. Remember, Ra never killed a queen. Anubis not only killed a queen, he did it at a summit. The System Lords united against him. They shattered his holdings. Destroyed his fleet. Killed all his Jaffa. They thought they had killed him. Anubis caught even the Tok’ra by surprise,” Jacob stated sadly.

“I figured there was bad blood there. Lord Yu is one of the more sane goa’uld to deal with,” Daniel said with awe.

“Indeed, Daniel Jackson. However, for what purpose was Anubis intent in killing a queen? This did not weaken Lord Yu in the System Lords,” Teal’c stated. “It only brought the wrath of the System Lords down on him.”

“I don’t know,” Daniel said. “So who is left that is a real goa’uld queen?” Daniel asked after a pause.

“The Tok’ra can confirm that Ba’al has Anat somewhere. He is keeping her hidden and away from the other goa’uld. Olokun has Aphrodite. We know where she is even if Olokun thinks she is hidden. We believe that Kali has Shekmet, but we can’t confirm it,” Jacob said.

“That leaves us with Hera missing for sure and rumors of more queens that have been unaccounted for among those spawned,” Jacob finished.

“Hera? Like Zeus’ Hera?” Daniel asked.

“Yes,” Jacob said. “Zeus was a System Lord. He was deposed nine hundred years ago. Hera was his queen. She disappeared around then. She has not been seen since,” Jacob stated.

“Well, going off of mythology, Hera was NOT NICE. She was very goa’uld like in mythology. She hunted down all the kids her cheating husband sired. I seriously doubt she would be Shade. Sam told you she was nice,” Daniel said. “Who else?”

“Rumors mostly,” Jacob said. “There were more than a few about Artemis. But they think Artemis was the host not the goa’uld.”

“Okay,” Daniel said. “That sort of matches my mythology search. Teal’c?”

“Jacob Carter has already provided the information I had gained from my memories. I have no more useful information to provide,” Teal’c supplied.

“Okay, well, I went through mythology and I was looking for women who bore children to gods. I figured that this would be the best description for a goa’uld queen that mythology could provide. The Greek and Olympian gods tend to stand out. Aphrodite, Hera, Asteria, Eos, Selene, Leto, Gaia, Mnemosyne, Rhea, Tethys, and Themis.

“Of those, we know for a fact that Aphrodite and Hera are queens and not likely on our list. Artemis is considered a virgin goddess. But we still have rumors. Asteria is the mother of Hecate. She apparently fled Zeus. It does not say who the father of Hecate was. Eos has many children but none by a known System Lord. Leto gave birth to Apollo and Artemis by Zeus. She was chased by Hera. She is sometimes called Lethō, meaning to move unseen. Selene had several children by Zeus. Gaia had several children by Ouranos, including Cronus. Mnemosyne had several children by Zeus. Rhea had several children by Cronus, including Zeus. Themis had several children by Zeus. Tethys has several children but none by a known System Lord.

“Which leaves us with the rumors… do any of these rumors match Asteria, Leto, Selene, Gaia, Mnemosyne, Rhea, or Themis?” Danial asked.

“I can actually rule out Gaia and Rhea,” Jacob said. “Gaia was a goa’uld queen, but she passed away of old age six thousand years ago. Same with Rhea about two thousand years ago.”

“Which just leaves the rest…” Daniel said. “Which one are you Shade?”

SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG

Daniel cornered Jacob in the Dining Facility later that afternoon. “We need to talk. I think we need to chase those rumors. Stop by after dinner,” Daniel said. Then he swept off again not giving Jacob time to respond.

_Wonder what that was about?_ Jacob thought to Selmak.

Selmak chuckled. _Daniel is chasing mythology turned real. It is fascinating to watch,_ Selmak replied.

_So the rumors are likely the ones about possible Shade candidates?_ Jacob asked.

_Most likely,_ Selmak replied. _Oh, get that one,_ Selmak said excitedly about the meatloaf.

_You get so excited about the simplest things,_ Jacob smiled. _It’s just meatloaf. I’m glad I like it too. But we have to have mashed potatoes to go with it. And gravy. I can skip the butter, if I get gravy._

_Very well,_ Selmak said. _I can live with that arrangement._

Jacob and Selmak stopped by Daniel’s office after dinner to find Daniel buried in books. He raised his eyebrows and knocked to make sure Daniel noticed him.

“Oh good, you’re here. Close the door and have a seat,” Daniel started. “I have been looking more into the story of Leto, using Artemis as a starting point. As the story goes, Leto became pregnant with twins by Zeus after he tricked her by turning into a swan. Hera chased the pregnant woman relentlessly. The floating island of Delos granted her refuge allowing her to give birth to Apollo and Artemis. Even later, while traveling to Delphi, the giant Tityus tried to abduct her. Apollo killed the giant with arrows.”

“Again, chasing the rumors and trying to match myth with reality. Can you match any goa’uld to Apollo and Artemis?” Daniel asked.

Selmak took over, “Yes. Apollo was a minor goa’uld under Zeus. Artemis was also a minor goa’uld under Zeus, but after Apollo was killed.”

“What about the island of Delos? Is that real?” Daniel asked.

“Yes. It is a planet in Olokun’s domain. It belonged to Cronus for thousands of years before that,” Selmak replied.

“What about the incident where the giant tries to abduct Leto?” Daniel said.

“That incident is unusual,” Selmak replied. “It could be that the System Lords had discovered that Leto was a queen and attempted to reacquire her. Since the event was witnessed and placed into myth, it grows the story of Apollo and Leto.”

“As I recall, Apollo was attacked while on a routine patrol in his ha’tak. He was able to repel the attack and make land fall on a nearby planet. When all of Apollo’s Jaffa had been slain, he stood firm and killed the last of the attackers. However, he was fatally wounded. No new host was available,” Selmak stated sadly.

“And it was after Apollo was slain that Artemis rose to power as a minor goa’uld?” Daniel asked.

“Yes… In fact, it was within ten years and in that area of space,” Selmak said while pondering.

“I’m beginning to think that Apollo was actually Leto,” Daniel replied. “I think that Leto was hiding in plain sight. She pretends to be the son of Zeus. She becomes a minor goa’uld in his domain. Somebody gets suspicious or greedy and comes after Apollo. Leto goes back into hiding and comes out as Artemis, sister of Apollo,” Daniel said.

“Daniel,” Jacob said taking control back, “Apollo died about two thousand years ago.”

“We already know that the goa’uld are long lived. The Stargates help them. The sarcophagus hurt them. Shade has traveled through the Stargate and been without a sarcophagus,” Daniel said pointedly.

“I think that Leto ran away from Ra. But she didn’t know how to hide yet. She started out being goa’uld because that is what she know. It is what her memories told her to do. But she got better at hiding. Artemis disappears into history. A virgin god. Rumors. We lose the trail. Somehow she survives. She learns to live as a human. She learns to ask humans for help hiding. Eventually, she meets Sam,” Daniel pointed out.

“Your theory has a ton of suppositions and guesses,” Jacob said.

“Most of my theories do. You should read my book. Crazy thing about the pyramids being the landing pads for alien space ships in Egypt,” Daniel said with only a little ill feeling.

“Man, I bet you hate being right all the time,” Jacob said with a head shake and a smile.

Daniel sighed, “Yeah, it usually annoys Jack.”

“So what made you settle on Leto?” Jacob asked.

“The stories mostly,” Daniel said. “While the others were mothers, Hera didn’t care even if Zeus got them pregnant. Their stories were just the generic god stories. Leto was more personal. Then there was the Artemis tie in… Chasing rumors.”

“It fits,” Jacob said. “We will keep it to ourselves.”

“Well, if Shade has melded with Jack, I think that she is going to change how she hides,” Daniel said. “Jack gets bored easily. With Shade’s ability to hide, I can see them both wreaking havoc on Anubis because Jack is bored. Sam will probably help just to blow stuff up.”

“Then we need to figure out a safe way to get intel to them,” Jacob said. “Sam said they were still working out logistics. You know that means they won’t stay bored long.”

“No. I just hope they stay safe,” Daniel said.

“So do I, Daniel,” Jacob said. “So do I.”

SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG

Jack and Sam were relaxing in the bridge of the Al’kesh after a rather vigorous christening of the control panel. As their bodies cooled with the smell of sex in the air, Sam stared out at the star field and gave a small sigh.

“What?” Jack asked.

“Oh, just thinking,” Sam replied.

“I’m not surprised,” Jack quipped. He turned his attention to the star field. “I think the honeymoon is over,” he said softly.

“What was that?” Sam asked.

“The honeymoon. Us. Alone in space… sort of…” Jack said. “It’s over.”

Sam looked confused, “I don’t understand.”

Jack gave her a lopsided smile, “As much as I can’t get enough of you… EVER… I am bored. You look bored, when we are not engaged in acts of sin.”

“Well,” Sam said as she looked at him carefully, “What do you propose?”

“Shade needs to stay safe. We need to not be bored. Anubis needs to die. He is a queen killer. It is in all of our best interests if he dies. We pool our resources and take him out from the shadows,” Jack said.

“While hiding Shade?” Sam asked.

“Of course. It’s my ass too, you know,” Jack said.

“Shade?” Sam asked.

“Shade is getting sick of the Al’kesh. She wants to go to Asteria,” Jack said.

“Is Asteria safe?” Sam asked.

“We’ll find out if the family of Xanthos is still maintaining the Lykia in secret. If they are, then it is safe. If not, we find a new planet to base our operations,” Jack said.

Sam started to get the calculating look in her eye. She started to work out what they would need and how to get it and working through the various logistics as Jack set the auto-pilot to Asteria. It was not far from their current position.

“We should probably get dressed,” Jack said as he steered Sam back to the bedroom with their clothing.

They stayed in orbit long enough to ensure they were undetected in their descent. They landed the cloaked Al’kesh on a mountain meadow next to a sheer cliff and surrounded by rocky walls. Jack and Sam exited the Al’kesh and waited next to the ring platform.

A few minutes later the rings activated and a man appeared. He was wearing the local clothing. It was not overly worn or too rich. His boots were broken in but not overly used. He had the appearance of a man of middle age and class.

“Greetings, I am Gustav Xanthan. How may I help you?” Gustav asked.

Jack stepped forward, “Gustav of the family Xanthos, well met. I am Jack and this is Sam. We are here to see the Lykia.”

The words Jack spoke seemed to release whatever hesitation Gustav had in their presence. “Then welcome. It has been many years since you were able to visit. My family has kept everything as you have desired. Come,” Gustav said eagerly leading them to a specific place on the sheer rock wall.

Gustav handed Jack two things. The first was a special naquadah triggered key. It was similar to the one they had seen at the safe house. The only difference was that it was kept by the Xanthos family. The family also had another way into the complex that was triggered by their DNA. This door is the only one that allowed non-Xanthos DNA into the facility.

The second item was a small hand device. It was this planet’s version of a smart phone. Asteria was more technologically advanced than they allowed the goa’uld to see. The goa’uld Olokun left them alone as long as they provided crops. Those fields were set aside and harvested often to keep Olokun away from the planet.

The planet was too small and insignificant for Olokun to be concerned with. It was in the center of his territory. Not near any of his contested borders. No Jaffa settlement were on it to be concerned with the Free Jaffa. To minor goa’uld were in charge of it, to be concerned with Tok’ra spies.

Jack activated the key and opened the doorway. It was just as Shade remembered it. The living area was large and open. The bedroom area was private and comfortable. Then Jack moved to another area down a second hallway.

It led to the tanks. Jack looked over the whole area and he could easily see a large swimming area in the tanks with an energy field and bubbles rising to the top.

“Jack?” Sam asked coming up behind him.

“Shade thinks it’s time,” Jack said quietly.

“Do you need Jaffa? Or can they spend the seven years in here?” Sam asked softly.

“I want them to be safe…” Jack said vehemently.

“They will be safe here. They will be alone in a Jaffa. But there are those Jaffa who would gladly hide to keep the symbiote safe,” Sam said. “Think of Rya’c. Master Bra’tac must know of other Jaffa.”

“For now, they should stay here,” Jack said firmly.

“For now,” Sam agreed.

“Come on. I wanted to show you the lab,” Jack said suddenly changing the subject.

“A lab?” Sam asked perking up. “You know the best presents to get me…”

“You might have to share it,” Jack said. “I get bored easily.”

“I can share. I just reserve the right to jump you every now and then,” Sam said coyly.

“Only every now and then,” Jack asked with a mock frown.

“Well… I can’t be THAT easy…” Sam replied. Sam stopped as she caught sight of the lab. “Oh…”

It was crammed with every goa’uld scientific device that Sam had ever seen. It had crystal tuner and calibrator. Sam was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of stuff. It looked like her lab back at the SGC. There were even special toolboxes with specialized tools for use with the crystals.

Jack smirked, “Lots of doohickeys for you to play with… lots of things for me to tinker with…”

“I’m just… going to…” Sam said as she wandered over to the first workstation and started to explore.

SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG

TO BE CONTINUED

ACTIONS FROM THE HIDDEN ONE

**Author's Note:**

> End Notes:   
> References:   
> 11 Egyption Gods and Goddesses. Encyclopedia Britannica. 2021. https://www.britannica.com/list/11-egyptian-gods-and-goddesses
> 
> Apollon Family. Theoi Greek Mythology. 2017. https://www.theoi.com/Olympios/ApollonFamily.html
> 
> Anat. Wikipedia. 28 Dec 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anat
> 
> Artemis. Theoi Greek Mythology. 2017. https://www.theoi.com/Olympios/Artemis.html
> 
> Hera. Theoi Greek Mythology. 2017. https://www.theoi.com/Olympios/Hera.html
> 
> Leto: Greek Titan Goddess. Theoi Greek Mythology. 2017. https://www.theoi.com/Titan/TitanisLeto.html#:~:text=LETO%20was%20one%20of%20the,of%20modesty%20and%20womanly%20demure.
> 
> Xiwangmu. Mythopedia: Chinese Mythology. 2019. https://mythopedia.com/chinese-mythology/gods/xiwangmu/
> 
> Work Title: Who Is The Hidden One  
> Summary: Jack and Sam go try to figure out what the hell they are going to do to hide a goa’uld. The SGC and Jacob Carter try to figure out who has taken Sam.  
> Sequel Information: Finding The Hidden One  
> Series Information: The Hidden One  
> Rating: Mature (M)  
> Archive Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply  
> Fandom: Stargate (1994), Stargate SG-1: Season 5  
> Spoilers: Stargate (1994) Stargate SG-1: 0101 Children of the Gods, 0102 The Enemy Within, 0202 In The Line Of Duty, 0209 Secrets, 0211 The Tok’ra pt. 1, 0212 The Tok’ra pt. 2, 0215 The Fifth Race 0301 Into The Fire, 0310 Forever In A Day, 0405 Divide and Conquer, 0413 The Curse, 0422 Exodus, 0515 The Summit, 0516


End file.
